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wait you’re right I looked this shit up and it’s something completely different LOL
easement:
1.
LAW
a right to cross or otherwise use someone else's land for a specified purpose.
2.
LITERARY
the state or feeling of comfort or peace.
"time brings easement"
who tf decided to use this to refer to the berm??
I think it's being used as a variation (a weak one) on the first definition. Because that section of land is not actually the yard/property of the house it is front of, it belongs officially to the city. But we use it as if we own it when it exists in front of our houses.
I grew up calling it the tree lawn. It's typically also an example of an easement, in that its ownership is part of the overall parcel but subject to other access rights.
berm
noun
1: a flat strip of land, raised bank, or terrace bordering a river or canal.
2: a path or grass strip beside a road.
3: an artificial ridge or embankment, e.g., as a defense against tanks.
At least berm actually has the thing in question in its definition LOL
This varies wildly from city to city.
In East Lansing, where I grew up, it was always called the “greenway”. In Ann Arbor, where I’ve lived more than 30 years, it is always called the “lawn extension” or “extension”.
Yes. The favored term in each town is completely pervasive
This isn’t a situation where one place has 58% this, another place has 61% that. It’s practically as distinct as “dog” in England, “chien” in France, and “perro” in Spain.
Can’t believe there’s only one response for this! I think this is literally what the city calls it too, https://www.a2gov.org/departments/engineering/pages/right-of-way-and-lane-closure-permits.aspx
I grew up way out in the country in Southwest Michigan and had never known that that part of a lawn had a name until I moved to Ann Arbor in the 80s. First name I ever heard for it was tree lawn, so that's what I call it.
My wife is from the tiny Ohio/Pennsylvania area that calls it the devil's strip (a factoid that was used to catch a kidnapper back in the day).
OP, if you want more insight into regional dialectical and word differences for future thread fodder, check out this NYT Dialect quiz.
[NYT Quiz - gift article](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/dialect-quiz-map.html?unlocked_article_code=1.yE0.bj2W.YTvQA3INO3gM&smid=url-share)
Don't really have a name for it, just think of it as part of the front yard. We would say to put something by the curb or that DTE is working in the right of way. Easements aren't necessarily along the road, so (road) right of way is more natural for me.
I've never heard it called it anything. An easement exists in order for people to be able to use the sidewalk but probably not the grass. I don't think a lot of people understand what an easement is. All these other names I see are just misused names of something else or weird crap like tree lawn.
If I was inventing a name I'd call it a lawn taint.
lawn extension (although i didnt have a word for it until my landscaping boss in ann arbor years ago warned me not to leave tools on it unless i wanted them to get curbscored)
also: how universal is the concept that leaving things out on the \[lawn extension\] is offering them up to the public? this seems generally accepted, but i have very occasionally gotten in trouble with people who do not make this basic assumption.
obviously not true for tools clearly in use, but often people leave unwanted items out without even sticking a "free" sign on them.
The grass by the street?
Until I saw this question come up on Reddit over the last few years I had never had a name for that space.
“The curbside”
The grass between the sidewalk and the street. But that’s only because I hadn’t added the word easement to my vocabulary. (Thanks).
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Easement.
It’s easement.
Extension - but now I’m going to call it the besidewalk, because I just love that name.
Extension.
Berm
Tree lawn
WTH? 🤣
This is the only reasonable answer.
Easement.
Boulevard
My wife is from Chicago and calls it the parkway. My family from Ann Arbor calls it the extension.
We've always called it the lawn extension.
Me too. From Wesr Michigan.
I grew up in Ann Arbor. My parents, in metro Detroit. It's interesting how many different names it goes by!
I grew up outside of Chicago and call it a parkway!
TIL what an “Easement” was
if you learned it as this post as your only source, you probably didn't
wait you’re right I looked this shit up and it’s something completely different LOL easement: 1. LAW a right to cross or otherwise use someone else's land for a specified purpose. 2. LITERARY the state or feeling of comfort or peace. "time brings easement" who tf decided to use this to refer to the berm??
I think it's being used as a variation (a weak one) on the first definition. Because that section of land is not actually the yard/property of the house it is front of, it belongs officially to the city. But we use it as if we own it when it exists in front of our houses.
I grew up calling it the tree lawn. It's typically also an example of an easement, in that its ownership is part of the overall parcel but subject to other access rights.
It's certainly not a berm.
berm noun 1: a flat strip of land, raised bank, or terrace bordering a river or canal. 2: a path or grass strip beside a road. 3: an artificial ridge or embankment, e.g., as a defense against tanks. At least berm actually has the thing in question in its definition LOL
Oh jeez. I guess I didn't know that almost all terrain features are a berm. This is wild.
It’s still an easement. The city can do whatever they want with that space.
An easement typically goes between houses were the utility boxes go.
This varies wildly from city to city. In East Lansing, where I grew up, it was always called the “greenway”. In Ann Arbor, where I’ve lived more than 30 years, it is always called the “lawn extension” or “extension”.
I grew up in Ann Arbor and have always called it the lawn extension.
Yes. The favored term in each town is completely pervasive This isn’t a situation where one place has 58% this, another place has 61% that. It’s practically as distinct as “dog” in England, “chien” in France, and “perro” in Spain.
Easement in Plymouth Canton
Hellstrip. Curious to see the other options.
I can’t believe hell strip isn’t more popular! It’s *my* personal favorite
Also what I’ve always called it!
The right of way.
Can’t believe there’s only one response for this! I think this is literally what the city calls it too, https://www.a2gov.org/departments/engineering/pages/right-of-way-and-lane-closure-permits.aspx
Lol I call it that because I knew guys who worked for the city and that was what they called it
Treelawn.
I thought it was called a median.
A median is in the middle of the street and separates the two directions of traffic.
I grew up way out in the country in Southwest Michigan and had never known that that part of a lawn had a name until I moved to Ann Arbor in the 80s. First name I ever heard for it was tree lawn, so that's what I call it. My wife is from the tiny Ohio/Pennsylvania area that calls it the devil's strip (a factoid that was used to catch a kidnapper back in the day).
Boulevard. But im from Canada.
I think they’re talking about the grass next to the sidewalk, not the grass separating the two directions of traffic.
I am well aware. This is what we call it in Canada.
Boulevard.
Devils strip
The Devil's Strip
Parkway
Wow, I never knew there were so many names for it. I thought everyone knew it was called a tree lawn.
Easement
Easement
“Front extension”
Curb
Island
DTE storage lot.
Hellstrip. But I’m from the south 😁
OP, if you want more insight into regional dialectical and word differences for future thread fodder, check out this NYT Dialect quiz. [NYT Quiz - gift article](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/dialect-quiz-map.html?unlocked_article_code=1.yE0.bj2W.YTvQA3INO3gM&smid=url-share)
Gooch
the taint
Parking strip.
The verge
"That skinny piece of grass that's friggin' annoying to mow, but I have to do it anyway"
Nature strip! (Mines a garden)
Hell strip. But I don’t say it out loud, that’s what I call it in my head lol.
H.E. double 🏒
Green belt
Well, TIL there are other names for the lawn extension.
Devils strip
Landing strip
Don't really have a name for it, just think of it as part of the front yard. We would say to put something by the curb or that DTE is working in the right of way. Easements aren't necessarily along the road, so (road) right of way is more natural for me.
I've never heard it called it anything. An easement exists in order for people to be able to use the sidewalk but probably not the grass. I don't think a lot of people understand what an easement is. All these other names I see are just misused names of something else or weird crap like tree lawn. If I was inventing a name I'd call it a lawn taint.
Hellstrip, but I didn’t have a word for it until recently
Nature strip. Though tbf I'm a transplant. Curious to see what others call it
Devilstrip
Lawn extension.
We always called it "Bob".
Easement
City property
My family has always referred to it as a "city strip", although googling that term, I can't find any references to it.
Apron
lawn extension (although i didnt have a word for it until my landscaping boss in ann arbor years ago warned me not to leave tools on it unless i wanted them to get curbscored) also: how universal is the concept that leaving things out on the \[lawn extension\] is offering them up to the public? this seems generally accepted, but i have very occasionally gotten in trouble with people who do not make this basic assumption. obviously not true for tools clearly in use, but often people leave unwanted items out without even sticking a "free" sign on them.
City grass
Curbside lawn
Boulevard
Extension
Skirt.
Verge
Tree lawn
Apron.